Tag Archives: ARWT

Alapaha River Beauty should not be hidden 2018-04-07

Randy Patten used to say he’d never seen an alligator on the Alapaha River in Lanier County, but he just saw a log with eyes and a tail.

He also changed his mind about something else:

I have been against the publication and the making public of our river for people kayaking it, due to the fact that we couldn’t get people out of the river if they got in trouble.
Well, after a couple of years of planning with the assistance of the county commissioners, and volunteer firefighters, and everybody that would assist, we now have signs, 24 actually, up and down the river, from Atkinson County to Echols County. So every few miles you’ll see a sign with a phone number. And later on, when I get close to one I’ll go live again and show you what they look like.
But it makes it a lot nicer to know that if we have people looking at its beauty, which should never be kept a secret, but if something does happen, we have the ability to come get you. Continue reading →

Video: Suwannee Riverkeeper on Steve Nichols Drive-time Radio 2018-04-24

This morning I was on The Morning Drive with Steve Nichols on 105.9 FM WVGA, Valdosta, Georgia, which Steve says reaches 100,000 people. We talked about all the things we said we would: Troupville cleanup, water trails, paddle race, film festival, songwriting contest, outings, and more.

Here’s the video extracted from WVGA’s facebook live.

Suwannee Riverkeeper on Steve Nichols Drive-time Radio 2018-04-24
Video by Black Crow Media for WVGA 105.9 FM, Valdosta, GA

I don’t know why the video is mirror-flipped, but below are a few stills right-way around.

If you want to see the whole morning’s video, it’s on the show’s website. This interview runs about -23:40 to -1:20.

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Troupville cleanup, Interview

Hi, Helen, Interview

Tires and a boat, Interview

Metal signs, Interview

Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, Interview

BIG Little River Paddle Race, Reed Bingham SP, 2018-04-28, Interview

Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, Cedar Key, 2018-06-23, Interview

Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Valdosta, 2018-05-31, Interview

Newsletter: Tannin Times, Interview

Canoeing the Alapaha, April 2018

Received April 21, 2018. I’ve added some links. -jsq

Seven of us drove down from north Georgia to the Alapaha for a long weekend paddling trip starting April 12. I had long thought of making this trip, especially because the Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to Georgia rated it as one of the state’s most scenic rivers, “A+.”

We chose the upper stretches, between Willacoochee and Lakeland. One of our group arranged, through extended family, to “camp” the night before putting in, at a house in Lax, just a few miles from the GA-135 bridge where we we started out the next day.

We launched with four boats, three canoes and a kayak, and found the river every bit as scenic as the guide described. We enjoyed the forests of cypress, tupelo, pine, oaks, maples, birch and willow. And the wildlife was equally magnificent: ibis, geese, egrets, herons, buzzards, woodpeckers, beavers (evident through their marks on the trees), and deer and raccoon tracks on the beaches.

First Camp: a beach on a point

The paddling was nice and easy, making about 3 mph without breaking a sweat. We had a few tight spots, including Continue reading →

Deadfall, Alapaha River, between Berrien Beach and Lakeland 2018-04-15

Update 2018-04-24: deadfall pinpointed, with latlong and map, and see trip report.

Sometimes it takes paddlers from Atlanta to alert us to a river obstruction, in this case Robert Marshall about the Alapaha River:

A group of seven of us mostly from Atlanta paddled from GA-135 south of Willacoochee, to US-129 east of Lakeland, this last weekend. Loved the river, and appreciate all your organization does to promote its preservation.

You probably already know this, but there is a huge tree totally blocking the river, about halfway between the GA-168 bridge and the US-129 bridge. Water level at Statenville was about 3.5 during our trip. The tree’s top surface was probably a foot and a half above water level, and it spanned from bank to bank. We portaged on the right side.

That’s between Continue reading →

Paddle Race, Film festival, Songwriting Contest, and Water Trails @ VCC 2018-04-05

The audience was amused at the thought of the Valdosta City Council racing at Reed Bingham, or of any of them writing songs. But it could happen! And any of them can come on down to the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Valdosta.

You’ve already seen the videos of the two resolutions, for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT) and the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT). Here are videos of three WWALS members thanking Valdosta Mayor and Council for those, plus three festivals. We call WWALS a coalition because many people are involved, from many backgrounds, doing many different things to conserve and advocate for our watersheds being swimmable, fishable, and at least our well water drinkable.

There’s a playlist at the end.

6. Water Trails and BIG Little River Paddle Race —Phil Hubbard, WWALS Outings Committee Chair Continue reading →

Video: Valdosta resolution for Alapaha River Water Trail 2018-04-05

Not bad for a spring break agenda: Valdosta also passed a resolution for the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT), introduced by City Manager Mark Barber, moved by Council Vivian Miller-Cody, seconded by Tim Carroll, and approved unanimously.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Both WWALS Water Trails on Valdosta agenda Thursday 2018-04-05

On their agenda for 5:30 PM this Thursday, April 5, 2018, at Valdosta City Hall:

4.b. Consideration of a Resolution of Support for the Withlacoochee River and Little River Water Trail.
4.c. Consideration of a Resolution of Support for the Alapaha River Water Trail.

It wouldn’t hurt for some WWALS members, especially ones who live in Valdosta, to stand up and thank the City Council in Citizens to be Heard at the end of the meeting,

Let’s not count our chickens before they’re hatched, since they could modify the resolutions or not pass them, but here are the PDFs I sent them for the WLRWT and the ARWT.

It was surprisingly easy to show Continue reading →

Atkinson County passes Alapaha River Water Trail resolution 2018-01-18

It probably didn’t hurt that Lace Futch was Mayor of Willacoochee before he became Chairman of Atkinson County. During a brief discussion, I pointed out that the resolution includes this clause, to fix the last landing name before we update and reprint the Alapaha River Water Trail brochures:

Section 3: The public access to the Alapaha River at GA 135 south of the city of Willacoochee is hereby named Willacoochee Landing;

The Commissioners passed it unanimously.

WWALS board member Shirley Kokidko, who lives in Atkinson County and who had asked for this resolution to be on the agenda, thanked the Commissioners afterwards, and invited them to come on the Hike to the Dead River Sink, noon Saturday, January 27, 2018, explaining that this first outing on the Alapaha Quest was originally scheduled to start at Sheboggy Landing at US 82 and to end up at Willacoochee Landing, but was rescheduled due to low water. Shirley is near the center of each of the pictures below, each taken at Willacoochee Landing on different WWALS outings.

See also the resolution in support of the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT) passed by Lanier County 2018-01-08.

Photo: Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS at Willacoochee Landing 2016-02-20.

Text of the resolution

Continue reading →

ARWT Resolution passed by Lanier County Commission 2018-01-08

Unanimously, after reviewing the ARWT Brochure and a few words by Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, the Lanier County Commission passed a Resolution to support the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

Commissioners Paul Brockington (District 1), Susan Bowling (District 3), Harold Simpson (District 2), Dennis Fender (District 4), and Alex Lee (Chairman). Neil Ginty (County Administrator) in pink shirt.

I believe Commissioner Susan Bowling made the motion. Thanks to her and to Continue reading →

Banks Lake Drained 2017-12-28

Every few years Banks Lake gets drained is an effort to stymie unwanted aquatic vegetation.

About the usual problem species, Georgia Invasive Species Task Force says:

Hydrilla verticillata forms dense mats at the surface of the water. The dense mats can Continue reading →

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.